Sunita Mangrule

Sunita comes from the small village of Kolegaon. Married off at early because of strained financial circumstances, she lives with her two children and husband, who is a farmer. Before she was introduced to Mann Deshi, Sunita was in charge of the family’s grocery shop that is attached to their home.

A few years ago, Sunita saw the Mann Deshi B-school on wheels parked in her village. Intrigued, she found out more and enrolled for the business development workshops, with a focus on agriculture. It was fascinating, she says, and she started paying more attention to the farming practices her husband employed. Mann Deshi took her on exposure and field visits where she learned about organic farming, poultry and goat rearing and solar power. Very soon she was giving her husband advice and convinced him to invest in drip irrigation, better water management and a shift to less water intensive crops.

The financial literacy workshops also introduced her to various investment and marketing strategies which she applied to her grocery business and very soon her income increased. She proudly talks of her idea to begin a small drumstick sapling business, which also a success.

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Her ambition and confidence grew, her success emboldened her to stand up for her daughter’s rights and prevent an early marriage.  “I felt that if I had done so much with no education, then what could my daughter do if I supported her continue studying,” she says. “I made sure that my family agreed to let my daughter complete her 10th grade and pursue whatever field she wanted.” Eventually her daughter completed her Bachelor’s of Pharmacy and today runs a small pharmacy with her husband. Her younger daughter is a college lecturer.

“Once I persuaded my family enough to look beyond our immediate community, they did not marry my daughters at 15,' Sunita says.

Sunita says that she has become braver with her business experience and she is more confident to stand up for herself. Even though there are still a few restrictions on her travel and work, she says that she fights for herself. From almost no income, she now earns Rs. 10,000 a month. Her family recently bought a car with their increased earning and she will use it to expand her shop. She plans to start a wholesale stationary business in the future.